Possible Causes of Hand Pain

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My father is 65 and has stage II colon cancer. There are two more sessions left to finish his chemo. He is suffering from pain on his left hand. I have never heard about this side effect. Any information regarding this side effect will be greatly appreciated.

I am going to guess that your father is receiving either intravenous 5-FU or oral Xeloda chemotherapy for his stage II colon cancer. Both these agents can be associated with abnormal tingling and burning in the hands and feet. However, why he might be having pain in one hand only is unclear to me.

5-FU is infrequently associated with coronary vasospasm, the tightening of blood flow through blood vessels supplying oxygen and nutrients to the heart. Coronary vasospasm can cause left chest pain, arm pain and possibly hand pain. If he has a port or catheter for infusion therapy, blood clots, air bubbles or other clumps of material (embolus) can lodge in a single extremity and cause pain. Either way, these are all very serious conditions and should be reported immediately to his oncologist or internist.

There are also many other less serious causes of hand pain, but either way a thorough examination is in order.

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